My Wish
by HARRYxISxMYxHERO
Summary: Troy and Gabriella went their separate ways after high school. Now, Troy's life is partly miserable. He knows Gabriella would make it better, though. How can he find her again?
1. Hating

"Ta-tap-tap-tap-crash!" Troy heard a steady, loud drumbeat coming from his son's room. He went to tell him to stop. Troy already had a headache from his screechy wife screaming at him. He was regretting marrying her. He had that though about 15 times a day.

"Peyton, stop playing! Please!" Troy yelled through the door. Luke Bolton came out of his room as Troy's new wife, Charlee Travison, walked down the hall, towards Troy.

"Pay, dear, don't stop! If you want to practice, go right ahead." Charlee said to the 13-year-old boy.

"Don't call me Pay." Peyton said coldly before retreating into his room.

Charlee stepped forward to hug Troy, apparently her way of apologizing for this evening's fight. However, Troy didn't appreciate her nails digging into his back.

Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton had broken up during their senior year in high school. Later in Troy's Medical School, he had met a woman named Lyndsey. They were married 2 years later. In 6 months, Lyndsey was pregnant. She had the baby, a little girl, and named her Scarlett. 6 months later, Lyndsey was pregnant again. This time it was a little boy they named Peyton. 6 months later, Lyndsey decided she couldn't handle the pressure of 2 young kids and a husband who couldn't get his business off the ground. At that time, Troy was an aspiring psychiatrist. Anyway, Lyndsey took off with most of Troy's money and possessions, but leaving the kids for her ex-husband. He called his old high school friends, Taylor and Chad Danforth and explained his dilemma. The Danforths invited Scarlett, Peyton, and Troy to cash at their place while Troy tried to find a job and a place to live.

Well, Two years later, Troy and the now 2 and 3 year-old children were still at the Danforths. Not that Chad or Taylor minded. In fact, now they had a child of their own, so Taylor quit her job and stayed home with the three children while Troy went job-hunting. Chad just hated seeing his best friend come home every night, miserable. So Chad tried to cheer Troy up. He set Troy up with a friend of Taylor's cousin. Troy and the girl, Annie, hit it off great. One year later the two were married and living on their own. 5 years into the marriage, Annie was pregnant. 9 months later Troy had a baby girl named Lacey. Then, in about 4 years, Annie was killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver. Soon, Troy, who was now a professional psychiatrist, decided that he needed a break from the stress of his life. Leaving Lacey, Peyton, and Scarlett with the Danforths, Troy ran to Las Vegas. One night while he was there, he met a woman at a bar. The two fell in love, and got married that very night. Troy was now thinking that that was the worst decision of his life.

Right now Charlee, Troy, and the three kids were living in an apartment in East Little Rock, Arkansas. They were very close to the Danforths. The kids had been raised by Annie, Taylor, Chad, and, of course, Troy. They didn't want another person in their lives. Lacey was now 5 and Peyton and Scarlett were 13 and 14. Scarlett's opinion of her new mom was that she was a 'snooty, arrogant, bleach blonde, skanky, snotface'. The more Troy learned about Charlee, the more he had to agree. Even though, as Chad had said, 'she was hot.' That earned both troy and Chad a slap from Taylor.

Anyway, back to Charlee squeezing the living daylights out of Troy, thinking she was being affectionate.

"Char, I know we want Peyton to like you, but we have to set limits!" Troy said while prying Charlee's claws from his torso.

She rolled her eyes, blew a stray hair out of her face, and huffed down the hallway, back to whatever she was doing. Troy turned around to see Scarlett and Lacey peek out their door, then roll their eyes and blow hair out of their face, imitating Charlee. He had to laugh and go hug his two favorite girls. As the girls went back to their rooms, Troy knocked softly on Peyton's door.

"Can I come in, buddy?

"Is Charlee there?" Peyton responded chillingly.

"No, It's just me," Troy replied while opening the door. Peyton was lying on his bed, tossing a basketball in the air.

Troy caught the ball. Peyton jumped up and the father and son started a mini game of horse using the hoop Troy had installed against Charlee's will. Peyton stole the ball from his dad and threw it toward the hoop. It missed, rebounded, and flew toward Peyton's dresser. With a crash, it hit a shelf and everything fell to the ground.

"Troy?" Charlee screeched. "How many times do I have to tell you not to play basketball in the apartment?"

Troy rolled his eyes and, for his son's sake, stuck his tongue out in Charlee's general direction. Luke laughed and the two walked through the place to get the broom and the dustpan. They got to Charlee first, though.

"What broke?" Charlee asked in an exasperated tone. "Did you get hurt, Pey, darling?" She wrapped her talons around Peyton's muscled body. Troy knew this was a bad idea, and not just because there was a muscle flexing by Peyton's jaw (Troy and Peyton's sign of anger).

Peyton escaped from Charlee's grip and screamed, "I hate you, Charlee!"

He missed the look of sadness on her face as he ran out the door, slamming it behind him.


	2. It's Her

That look of sadness on Charlee's face was gone as soon as Peyton had flown out the door. It was replaced by a look of anger.

"That boy is the most ungrateful child in the universe! All you do for him, and that's what you get in return! Unbelievable! If I would've raised these children, they would be perfect angels! Why didn-"

Troy cut her off and ran out of the room. He knew he had to get out of this house. He wasn't worried about Peyton, Troy knew that he was going to the Danforth's house. Troy was worried about what Charlee was going to do to the other kids. When she got angry, she **really** got angry. She would go around the house breaking things, throwing things, and yelling. Troy knew he had to get the kids out of the house. Now.

"Scarlett?" He screamed while running to her room. "Lacey?"

They came out of their room. Lacey saw her dad's face and started crying. "Daddy, I'm scared!"

"I am too," he muttered under his breath.

Scarlett ran into her room and came back with three bags packed with her stuff, Lacey's stuff, and Peyton's stuff. "Me and Peyton sort of knew this might happen. We packed our bags."

Troy smiled at how smart his eldest daughter was. She reminded him of his old girlfriend, Gabriella Montez. Wow. He hadn't thought of her in a long time. He missed her terribly. Maybe if she hadn't broken up with him, he wouldn't have been married 3 times. Maybe just once. Did she break up with him? Or did he break up with her? Troy couldn't remember. He decided to ask Chad once he got there. He had already decided to follow his son's example and go to the Danforths'.

"Okay, you two. Let's go."

The threesome trekked out of the house, waving to Charlee with sweet sarcastic smiles. Once they got outside, Troy faced a tough decision. Should he take the pickup or the Mustang? Lacey decided for him. She took Troy and Scarlett's hands and dragged them toward the icy silver mustang. "This one!!!" She said.

"My baby, you have excellent taste." Troy said to her as he got in, getting ready to drive. Scarlett, can you call Peyton and Chad and Taylor?"

"Sure daddy." Such an obeying daughter, he thought. I never want to lose her.

The top was down, and Lacey and Scarlett's dark brown curls were flying in the wind. Suddenly, he was reminded of Gabriella. Again. Why was he thinking about her so much tonight? Maybe it was an omen…

"Daddy, Taylor wants to talk to you." Scarlett said, handing her light blue Razr to her father.

"Tee?" Troy said, using his pet name for her. "Is Peyton there?"

"Not yet, Troy, but I'm sure he'll be here any minute. I have to warn you, there is going to be someone else here. Someone you know. You just might not want to see her again."

"Who?" Troy asked blindly. That's when he saw her.

Scarlett and Lacey screamed as the car swerved into the opposite lane. Troy was still staring at the woman in the car. She looked so familiar, but it couldn't be…not here…not in Little Rock… but it was…she was supposed to be in Albuquerque…

"Daddy! Daddy what's wrong? Daddy, what's going on? Daddy I'm scared!" Scarlett and Lacey were screaming.

"Troy? Troy, answer me! Are you okay? Are you there? Scarlett? What happened? What's going on?" Taylor's screaming tinny voice coming from the speakers of the dropped phone.

Troy wouldn't answer anybody. He couldn't answer anybody. It was like he was in a trance or something. He was so confused. He thought he wasn't ever going to see her again. She pulled up next to him.

"Are you okay?" She said with her sweet voice.

Troy looked up, and summed up his feelings in one word

"Gabriella."


	3. Anger

"So you saw her, almost crashed, then drove off? That makes no sense whatsoever." Chad Danforth tried to understand.

Oblivious to Chad and Troy's conversation, Taylor and Gabriella were having a whispered phone conversation in the next room over. "So he saw you, almost crashed, then drove away? That makes absolutely no sense!" Taylor tried to understand.

"Yeah, well, Troy Bolton has always been a strange guy. Did you tell him I was coming in?" Gabriella said through the speaker in her phone.

"I was about to, but then he saw you. No one would answer me. Chad is about to ask him if its okay if you stay here. He just had a nasty fight with Charlee, and he needs a place to crash. If he really isn't comfortable with you staying here, too, then you can stay with my best friend. She only lives next door! If that's okay with you, of course." Taylor explained to her best friend.

"So Troy, Gabriella is in town. Actually, Taylor and I've kind of known for a while. And we've kind of planned for Gabi to stay here, but…" Chad explained nervously.

"Oh yeah, that's fine. I don't mind. Just don't be offended if I try really hard to avoid her. I am really embarrassed about this afternoon. In fact I'm probably getting a call from the police, to check up, sue, ect." Troy said.

"Aw, come on, buddy. Nobody's going to sue. Nobody can! You didn't do anything that affected anyone but you!" Chad assured Troy.

"Yeah I just stopped traffic for about an hour!" Troy responded sarcastically.

Chad rolled his eyes and went to tell Taylor everything.

"Hey, Tee," Chad said to Taylor who was still on the phone with Gabi in the living room. "Troy says its okay."

"Great!" Taylor responded. "Okay, Gabriella! I can't wait to see you and Abbie...Yes…Okay…Okay! Bye!"

"Who's Abbie? Is she staying here?" Chad asked Taylor.

"Abbie Montez is Gabi's daughter." Taylor answered as Scarlett walked in the room and sat next to Taylor.

"Gabi's married? She has a kid? Since when?"

"Scarlett, do you mind if we talk about Gabriella?" Taylor responded kindheartedly.

Scarlett nodded at Taylor, then said, "Gabriella has a daughter?"

Taylor said, "Gabriella isn't married anymore. Her husband died a week after she had the girl. Abbie is 3 months old. I think she's going to be so cute!"

Chad said, "Cool." then went to check on Peyton. He had been in a sort of dreary mood since he got to the Danforth's. Chad was worried about him.

Scarlett went to get ready for a date she had tonight, and Taylor went to check on the sheets in Gabi and Abbie's room. She was becoming paranoid about sheets. One of her pet peeves.

One hour later, the doorbell rang. Troy, forgetting that Gabriella was coming, went to answer it. He opened the door, and Gabriella was standing there with a baby. Troy gave her a cold glance, turned around and walked up to his room. Taylor went to see Gabriella and Abbie in.

"Gabi! Abbie! Omigod! It's great to see you! And Abbie's so cute! I am so excited to see you guys again!!

Peyton and Lacey even went down to coo over the baby, but Troy was being stubborn. He absolutely didn't want to see Gabriella. He needed something to get angry about. He had to let out his feelings!

Meanwhile, Scarlett was having a wonderful time on her date. It was with a guy from school. His name was Braden Abney. He was the cutest guy at her school, and he wanted Scarlett to go to a movie with him! Anyway, Scarlett had an excellent time. After the movie, they went to get coffee at Starbucks and she wasn't home until 11:00. She figured her dad wouldn't mind too much. And normally he wouldn't have, but he was in an angry mood tonight…

"SCARLETT MARIE BOLTON!" Troy started whisper-screaming as soon as she got home. "What in your right mind told you it was okay to stay out till 11? Everyone else is sleeping! I can't believe you! What is wrong with you? You are grounded for two weeks!" And with that, Troy stormed upstairs. Scarlett sat down on the sofa. So much for the perfect night.

Gabriella hadn't gone to sleep yet. She was trying, but she couldn't. She walked downstairs to find Troy Bolton's oldest girl sitting on the couch with a defeated expression on her face.

"Hey. You must be Scarlett. I'm Gabriella."

"Hi." Scarlett said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

Scarlett went on to answer her question with the story of Troy Bolton's three wives and her date tonight. Gabriella cradled Scarlett in her arms as though she was her own daughter through the whole story. By the time Scarlett was finished, Gabriella felt closer to her than ever.

"I am so sorry." Gabriella responded sincerely.

The two girls fell asleep on the sofa. Scarlett's last thought was, 'I am so glad I have Gabriella ."


	4. Running away and never coming back

Scarlett and Gabriella were abruptly woken up by the slam of a door.

"Wazgoingon?" Scarlett said groggily.

Taylor and Chad came from the kitchen, looking very alert. "Troy got mad because you two are friends." Taylor responded.

Gabriella knew that it was her responsibility to go after Troy. Besides, Gabi missed Troy. She wanted to have a conversation about life.

Gabriella went to get dressed. She grabbed her jacket and purse, gave Scarlett and Taylor some specific directions on taking care of Abbie, then took off. She had absolutely no idea where Troy was, or how to get anywhere in this town, but she knew if she kept driving, eventually she'd find him.

After half an hour of driving, she decided she needed a break. She came across a park, got out of her car and sat down on a bench in the park. Soon after, Troy walked up to her and sat next to her.

"Hey." He said sheepishly.

"Hey! How ironic! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Gabriella said, excited that she had found him.

"Yeah, I know. I've been following your car." Troy answered guiltily.

"That's the one place I didn't think to look. Behind me." She joked.

"Look, Gabi, I didn't mean to hurt you. Or me. Or Scarlett. I'm really sorry. I miss you. I really do. I want to know you again. I want to be the guy that you can tell everything to. And I want to be able to tell you everything."

After he said this, Gabriella's smile vanished. He eyes glazed over, like she wasn't there. She looked right past Troy. She stood up and ran to her car. She started it and drove away quickly.

Troy was very confused. A moment ago, she was fine, laughing and joking. Then she saw something. Behind Troy. Troy turned around to see a man running the other way. The man had dark hair and was wearing a long dark coat that flew behind him. Troy ran after the man but lost him in about 3 seconds. Troy quickly called Chad. Chad said that he thought Troy was going psycho and to stay right there. Chad was coming to get Troy. Troy agreed, then hung up with Chad. Then Troy realized that he didn't want to spend time with Chad and Taylor. He wanted to make sure Gabby was okay.

He ran. He didn't know where he was running, he just ran. About half a mile out, after turning his ringing phone off, he ran into the one person he thought he'd never see again.

"Lyndsey Baker?"

"Troy Bolton! Wow! This is a surprise!"

"Lyndsey! Wow! How are you? Look, you want to grab coffee or something? So we can catch up?"

"Yeah, of course!"

So the two ducked into a Starbucks nearby.

"So, what happened since…?" Troy asked, after she ordered her Caramel Frappachino.

"I am now a pediatrician." She said proudly.

"Oh, very nice." Troy responded.

"Soooo, how are Scarlett and Peyton?"

"They've been doing okay, considering that their mother left them."

"Troy, I couldn't take it! It was all too hard, and everyone was leaning on me to do everything, and-"

"It's okay, Lyn. I understand. Did you get remarried?" Troy inquired.

"No. I couldn't. My heart was devoted to you and the kids. I tried to find you, but you didn't answer any numbers I had."

"I'm sorry. I moved after I married Annie, and I guess all my numbers changed."

"Who's Annie?" Lyndsey asked.

"Annie was the woman I married after you and I split. She died a couple years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Annie said, putting her arm around Troy's waist and resting her chin on his strong shoulder. She seemed a lot more comfortable with Troy, now that she knew Annie wasn't around anymore.

"Then, I married a woman named Charlee."

Lyndsey pulled back. "But I left her a few days ago." Troy said reassuringly. He liked the feel of her arms around him.

"Wonderful. You're a free agent now." She said, leaning closer to him.

"Not for long…" he said, going to kiss her.

After about 30 seconds, a girl screamed, "TROY?"

The blonde bombshell girl walked toward Troy and Lyndsey's table

"Troy Bolton! We are still technically together! Who is this?"

"Same to you, honey." Lyndsey said icily. "Who are you?"

"I am Charlee **Bolton."**

"Troy, I thought you and her split."

"We did. Go away, Charlee."

At that moment, Taylor and her 'adopted' daughter, Abbie walked in. Taylor saw Troy and the two woman and jerked Troy out of the cozy Starbucks.

"I'll call you later, sweetie!" Charlee called after him.

"I'll _see_ you later, _darling!"_ Lyndsey said challengingly.

"I'll-ahh!!!!" Charlee screamed. Troy looked back to see that Lyndsey had thrown a muffin at Charlee.

As soon as they were out the door, Taylor said, "How in the world did you get yourself in a predicament like that?"

"Well…"

"Don't even tell me. Get in the car. Where's yours?" Taylor asked.

"At Trinity Hope Park."

"Why?" Taylor asked as she put Abbie in her carseat. "Don't answer that. I don't want to know. Have you seen Gabi? She came to find you."

"Yeah. She ran off."

"Ookay."

Taylor dropped Troy off at Trinity Hope Park.

They drove home. When they got home, they noticed that everyone was in a peculiar mood.

"Gabi called. No one was home." Chad said nervously. He pressed the play button on the answering machine.

"_Hey guys it's Gabi. I'm not coming back. Don't call me. I won't answer. Keep Abbie safe. I probably won't see you guys again, but I-ahhhhhhhh!!!" _then the phone beeped (the signal that it was over)

"What are we going to do?" Taylor cried.


End file.
